The follow-up data showed that in terms of speed, endurance, and agility, he was roughly four to six tis the theoretical human limit. Strength and reaction speed, anwhile, reached eight to ten tis that limit.
With numbers this precise, it was no wonder Neagley was shocked.
There was no need to ntion their boss's monstrous physique—it simply wasn't human.
And that was an isolated case.
But Gene was different. His transformation ca from the Super Soldier serum, aning it could be replicated on a large scale.
That made the significance entirely different.
"His learning ability is remarkable," Natasha Romanoff said quietly from the side, drawing Neagley's attention.
Seeing Neagley look over, Natasha slightly lifted her delicate chin, her green eyes fixed on Gene fighting ahead. "This soldier's combat skills weren't particularly outstanding before—just average."
"Even though their physical abilities are now similar, his technique and real combat experience were completely outclassed. If Bucky wanted, he could have decided the outco within a minute."
"But Bucky noticed that. With deliberate guidance, this soldier has been rapidly learning and mimicking Bucky in actual combat. By now, their techniques have basically reached parity."
Neagley nodded after hearing this.
She understood what Natasha was implying.
Learning ability was a vague concept, but it represented sothing crucial—talent.
Not physical talent, but the ability to absorb knowledge, understand it, and analyze it.
A super soldier without brains and a super soldier with extraordinary learning ability were two entirely different things.
At the sa ti, the significance of this serum went far beyond just creating super soldiers.
What about scientists?
The world's top scientists all possessed exceptional learning talent. Yet countless researchers spent ten or twenty years—or even their entire lives—remaining at an ordinary level.
The serum could accelerate that process.
It could cultivate top-tier experts in various fields within a short period of ti.
"And there's also lifespan," Milson added. "The serum prevents the user's cells from degrading over ti like those of a normal person."
"It grants immunity to all natural diseases. The cardiovascular and nervous systems remain in peak condition. Healing ability is enhanced, organs won't fail naturally, and youth is preserved to the greatest extent—aging won't occur rapidly. Based on calculations, the theoretical lifespan could reach 200 years or even more."
"Wow… now I'm really getting impatient."
The ability to retain youth for a long ti was an irresistible temptation for any woman. Neagley grinned brightly. "So when can we get injected?"
"Not yet. We need one to two months of observation to see whether Gene develops any adverse reactions or psychological issues," Milson replied seriously.
Though he wasn't among the very top scientists, his rigor was unquestionable. And with the boss's explicit instructions, he wouldn't take risks.
"Another month or two? I won't be able to sleep when I get back," Neagley said, imdiately pulling a bitter face.
Such a good thing—being able to see it but not use it—was pure torture.
"You can stay and help," Jack Reacher said, understanding her thoughts.
Even with his steady temperant, the temptation of power and extended lifespan was hard to resist.
"Of course. I don't have much to deal with over there anyway. I'm definitely staying until the observation period ends—and I'll be the first to get injected," Neagley said cheerfully. Then, as if rembering sothing, she asked, "Where's the boss?"
"This isn't the kind of thing that would make him rush back in a panic." Reacher shook his head.
The successful developnt of a side-effect-free serum would move anyone—but for Matthew, it was different.
Because of all the prior groundwork, actions, and the massive investnt of funds, equipnt, and resources poured into this project, success was only a matter of ti.
It was inevitable.
Unlike the U.S. governnt, the military, or Hydra.
Within the governnt, agencies like the CIA and the military were plagued by internal power struggles and conflicts of interest. Their people weren't united, their funding wasn't unified, and they lacked a complete serum formula.
Even with Isaiah's blood samples, they still couldn't fully develop a side-effect-free version of the serum.
These organizations might appear independent, but in reality, they all operated under the massive umbrella of the United States. In their competition for power and interests, none of them wanted the others to succeed.
As for moles and spies—what organization didn't have dozens of them?
Even high-ranking officials would sell out their own institutions.
Once a goal was set, if you wanted to succeed, soone else would do everything possible to make sure you failed. As long as you didn't succeed, that alone counted as their greatest success.
As for Pierce's Hydra faction, they had Howard's version of the serum formula. The serum was later used to modify Bucky, as well as the five super soldiers frozen in Siberia.
So why didn't they continue researching and improving it? Because their priorities were different.
They had power, resources, and a formula—but their strategic focus was infiltration and long-term developnt.
Hydra was too unique. After World War II, they were targeted by every nation in the world—public enemies on a global scale. After their defeat, they could only infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. through operations like the Project Paperclip or scatter across the world in hiding.
Super soldiers drew too much attention.
Creating even one Winter Soldier—Bucky—for assassination missions had already drawn the attention of the CIA and the military, who sent Isaiah to eliminate him.
If they created more, they would only expose themselves faster.
But creating them without using them would be a waste of manpower and resources.
So they abandoned that path entirely, shifting to an elite upper-echelon strategy—using coercion, bribery, or recruitnt to place their people within the highest levels of the U.S. governnt and military. By controlling the United States, they could then use it as a massive force to threaten the world.
By that point, with advances in technology, developing the serum later would still be feasible.
The strategy and goals were sound, with a high chance of success—until their boss suddenly intervened midway and seized the results ahead of them.
Each of these factions had their own reasons, which is why they failed to develop the serum and mass-produce super soldiers.
Matthew's strategy was entirely different.
He operated under true centralized authority—absolute control in the hands of one. While he appeared to delegate power, all major directions and goals were set by him. Others handled the details and supported him wholeheartedly.
On top of that, Neagley's mo-mo Fruit provided a natural advantage in information channels, allowing all of this to be accomplished in such a short ti.
In short, this was a path that couldn't be replicated.
"Alright. All of you will need to undergo a new round of physical testing and blood sampling. During the observation period, we need to run simulations and matching calculations to ensure a 100% success rate."
After the discussion died down, Milson cleared his throat.
Then he looked at Natasha Romanoff and lina Vostokoff.
"Especially you two. You've undergone human enhancent procedures before, so the serum may need adaptive adjustnts for compatibility."
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